Figuarts Mighty Morphin Power Rangers White Ranger Review

Looking across my pending reviews from 2013, I’ve got a handful of big ones that I really need to get to. Tonight, I’m crossing one off the list: The White Ranger. The real sad part is that I try not to open figures that I haven’t reviewed (I don’t always succeed) and so my Figuarts White Ranger has been sitting in his box for about three months (oops!). Ashamedly, I did have a different review in mind for tonight, but I did not have the supplies I wanted for the review, so I looked around for a last minute alternative. It didn’t take me too long to realize Tommy was staring right back at me.

I’m not sure why I didn’t go for the review right away. I did point out in my Red Ranger review that he was a bit difficult to talk about because I was saying pretty much the exact same thing I had said in my Green Ranger review, but truthfully, I’m reviewing the same bucks over and over in most of my reviews anymore. I’m not sure why it’s so difficult when it comes to Figuarts, but it does seem to be.

While I’m telling secrets, I also almost didn’t buy the White Ranger. I have more fond memories of Tommy as the Green Ranger than the White. Even looking at him now, the figure is a little foreign to me, not evoking that same glee that the diamond-pattern Rangers do. But, I went on a little bit of a Figuarts Ranger binge. I snagged a cheap Red Ranger from Operation Overdrive (that I really didn’t need), the Red & Black Rangers from Jetman (I love those, can’t wait for the rest of team), and then I went down this odd path where I figured the Ryu Ranger looked cool enough to buy… and so he and the White Ranger became a package deal.

The Ryu Ranger, & Dairanger in general, sort of presents a funny story if you’re not familiar with the show. Power Rangers, as most know, is an imported show with American actors cut & pasted into fight scenes from the Japanese Super Sentai series. It’s fascinating to me how it comes about and how the Power Rangers side deals with the various changes on the Sentai side each season. When Power Rangers kicked off using footage from Zyuranger, everything went pretty smoothly, including the introduction of Tommy as the sixth, green, ranger.

The next year, when Super Sentai moved onto Dairanger, Power Rangers didn’t. It probably wasn’t that weird at the time; it’s just odder in retrospect after twenty years of the show reinventing itself. But, Power Rangers did incorporate Dairanger’s Kiba Ranger as the White Ranger. A new role for Jason David Frank’s character, Tommy Oliver. I don’t remember noticing the White Ranger never really appearing in the group shots (and it’s likely he could’ve in reshot scenes), but it’s interesting that they were able to cut one character out of one show entirely and place him in another. I need to go back and watch just how “seamless” it might’ve appeared.

Now, Tommy has gone on to be, like, a million other Rangers in the franchise since then ’ll always associate Tommy as the Green Ranger, I think his importance to the overall franchise parlays into his later color options (I don’t need the Red Zeo Ranger, Black Dino Ranger, and so on to have a little Tommy army though. Nope!). Continue to Page 2…

Figuarts actually reuse a lot fewer parts than they probably could get away with. While most characters of the same gender from the same series will share the bulk of their bodies, for some reason Bandai goes through the trouble of crafting entirely new pieces for ares that could easily be shared, like upper arms, upper legs, hands, crotch, torso (provided there are no sculpted elements), etc for each new batch of Rangers. Which means Kiba/White Ranger shares more in common with Ryu Ranger than he does with Dragon/Green Ranger.

I, personally, hope we do get an army of Tommies (is that how you’d spell that?). I wasn’t a huge fan of the Zeo/Oh Ranger suits, but the Red Racer/Red Turbo Ranger still has, for my money, one of the coolest helmet/suit designs in Ranger/Sentai history. It would be at the top of my want list even if it didn’t represent the franchise’s flagship character. The Abaranger suits were also great, so I’m hoping they get made sooner rather than later (Kira is also one of my favorite Rangers). Hopefully being featured in the new Go-Busters/Kyoryuger/Zyuranger/Abaranger film will help make that happen. Bandai seems to prioritize teams/Rangers that appear in new media, hence why almost every Ranger to ever be featured on Akiba Ranger has a Figuart, and why the entire Hurricanger team got made (thanks to their recent tenth anniversary special. Which pretty well sucked, but it got us some nice figures).

Will say it, I am over Tommy so will be Kiba for me. Also watching some Dairanger surprised the golden henshin tool wasn’t included. Oh well would confuse the masses of folk who still think Rangers came first even when show them Goranger to Jetman.

On the Tommy the overbearing army, just doing the Sentai heroes to me. OhRed, Carranger Red, Abablack all needed if want to make a Super Hero Taisen battle scene. Though I still hope to see Gaoranger, Megaranger, Gingaman, Timeranger, Shurikenranger (whole Hurricaneger/Ninja Storm isn’t finished), then all the teams before Jetman and finish Jetman and Dairanger. (I still kick myself for not buying Gokai Red back in 2012 but I never saw the packaging to know if it was legit and it had the Darin to all for $50 🙁 )

Though have to say bring on some cannon fodder, the riders get the Shock Trooper but no puddies, Zangack army, Black army(okay need.Goranger), blame the gokai special “The ghost ship” on that though as they had to fight a mix army from every season in that. And they talked instead of the noises we know.

Bandai’s not great about getting us bad guys for Figuarts at all, and, sadly, Sentai is a lot less popular than Kamen Rider. I can count on one hand the number of Sentai villains we’ve gotten and still have enough fingers left over to call a ball game, and no foot soldiers at all. I guess we did get the Corporate Drones from Akibaranger, but they’re unofficial.

We feel about the same on this figure. I wasn’t sure I wanted it but I felt like he was part of the group and got him anyway. The last real memory I have of MMPR before I moved on to “older” things was the big mystery of who the white ranger would be. Once it was revealed to be Tommy, I can’t remember ever watching the show again (although I’m sure I did for a little while longer).

The male version will be released in Japan, and if you preorder, you can usually get a good price (everyone but the Red and Sixth Rangers tends to be an online exclusive, so once the preorder period closes prices tend to climb).

We only had male fight footage for the Yellow Ranger in season 1. After that, the costume footage was mostly American, so it was a female stunt double for season 2 and 3. Plus, the merchandise always portrayed her with feminine characteristics (at least the merchandise that used art, like books, t-shirts, etc. The action figures used the same weirdly androgynous body for all the Rangers).

The US fans do get a choice: import the male version or buy the domestic female version. Given current internet economics and the fact that these figures are clearly marketed to an older demographic, that’s not an unreasonable option. If you’re 100% pro Sentai, you shouldn’t have any problems with getting the actual Sentai figure, rather than the repackaged Power Rangers equivalent.

In the all Yellow Gokai Change, Joe was Tiger Ranger. Ahim was Gosei Yellow, Don was Hurricane Yellow, Gai was Kirin Ranger, Luka was Bouken Yellow, and Marvelous was Gao Yellow.

If follow Rangers two, if a fan of the original source material none. Kiba Ranger is a ten year old living a dream but man did he have some gritty dark stories. Dragon Ranger well basically same as Tommy butbwas related to Tyranno and also died.

i’d love to see a side by side of the figuarts next to the armored might white ranger… maybe another review is in order if you find him? i found the super mega red at my TRU last week, but he was the only one of the AM figs there… if i lay hands on the armored might white, he’ll be coming home w/ papa. i liked those figs a lot.

It’s “cool” for fans to dump on them because of their extremely exaggerated muscles and because “they’re not as good as Figuarts,” but if you take them for what they are–toys designed for the domestic market for kids to actually play with–they’re not bad.

I’ve seen them around and I actually do think I’d like the AM figures quite a bit (I like the Mega Force looks a lot and there’s no Figuarts yet), but my main concern on those is also why I finally bit on the Figuarts: I want the team.

And as a typical non-import buyer, these newer Figuarts are a lot more tenacious than even some of the figures Vault was buying a few years ago. The accessories are still delicate, but the Figuarts stand up nicely. I don’t feel the need to be as careful with them as I do the handful of Figmas I’ve bought lately.

I debated getting him for a while, but decided to pass and just stick to the season 1 team (minus Armored Red Ranger). I also have to agree that the White Ranger’s costume is just a little off and I feel it doesn’t go with the other Rangers. But that’s just my opinion. I’m also okay with only getting the female version of the Yellow Ranger. Plus I already picked up the Legacy Megazord and just preordered the Dragonzord, so I have to cut costs somewhere!